Game board



Mard'l J. E. HUFFAKER 6 5 GAME BOARD Filed March 28, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 John E Hu faker Patented Mar. 18, 1941 PATENT OFFICE l GAME BOARD John Evans Hufiaker,Bloomington, Ill.

Application March 28, 1940, Serial No. 326,479

Claims.

' This inventionrelates toan improved game board and aims to provide a game board which maybe folded when not in use, and which is 7 provided with means for holding the game pieces 5' for use in conjunction with the board.

More particularly, it is an aim of this invention to provide an improved construction of game board especially designed for playing the game of 1 Chinese checkers which may be folded when not in use, and which is provided with a marginal rail for reinforcing the edges of the board and for hingedly connecting the sections thereof to enable them to be readily folded.

, Still another aim of the invention is to provide 5 improved means associated with the marginal rail of the board for holding the playing pieces or marbles used in conjunction with the board.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent 20 from the following description of the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the improved game board,

2 Figure 2 is an edge View in elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is an edge view in elevation showing the board folded,

, Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially 30 along the plane of the line 44 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the board,

Figure '6 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken substantially along the plane of the line 35 66 of Figure 4,

Figure 7 is a similar view taken substantially along the plane of the line 1-4 of Figure 1,

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 8-4! of Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the marginal rail, and

Figure 10 is a perspective view of one of the covers.

45 Referring more particularly to the drawings,

wherein like characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, In designates generally an improved game board particularly adapted to be used in playing the 50 game of Chinese checkers including the board portion, designated generally H, composed of corresponding sections [2. The board portion H may be made of any suitable material, such as cardboard, wood, metal and the like, and is 55 provided with a conventional six pointed star shaped playing area. 13, containing a plurality of spaced apertures M, to receive marbles or similar playing pieces, such as those shown at Hi.

It Will be noted that the board sections l2 are each provided with a corresponding half of the 5 playing area l3.

The game board portion H is provided with a marginal railing l6 comprising the U-shaped sections l1, each of which is connected to one of the board sections l2, along one of its longi- 10 tudinal edges and along its ends. The complementary ends of the rail sections 11 are hingedly connected by means of the hinges l8, to pivotally connect the game \board sections I2, so that when the game board It! is in an extended position, 15 as seen at Figure l, the other longitudinal edges of the board section l2 will be in abutting engagement.

As best seen in Figures 1 and 4, the ends of one of the rail sections I! are provided with swingably mounted latched elements I!) for engaging arcuately shaped grooves 2U" in the ends of the other rail section I! for latching the. game board It] in an extended or open position.

As best seen in Figure 9, the rail I6 is semicircular in cross section with the flat side thereof disposed on and secured to the upper side of the board portion I I along its marginal edge, as best seen in Figures 6 and '7. The upper, rounded portion of each side of the rail 16 is provided with two longitudinal grooves 2|, which are disposed in spaced apart relationship relatively to each other for receiving a set of ten correspondingly colored or otherwise distinctly designated manbles or playing pieces [5.

A cover 22, which is arcuately shaped in cross section, is turnably mounted on the rail [6, contiguous with each of its grooves 2|. The covers 22 are each provided with lateral arcuately shaped extensions 23 and 24, at their ends, which engage around the rail I6 and portions of the board sections [2 which are secured to the rail I 6 and which are adapted to extend through slots 25 in the board section l2 to position the complementary extensions 23 and 24 with their free ends substantially in contacting engagement, to effectively retain the covers 22 in position on the rail l 6.

A resilient latch element 26 projects outwardly of one of the longitudinal edges of each of the covers 22 and is curved in the opposite direction to said cover. A stationary keeper 21, is secured to the inner side of the rail l6 contiguous with each of the grooves 2| and is provided with a projection 28 for engaging an opening 29 in a To again prepare the game board I for storage,

latch member 26 to releasably retain a cover 22, in the position, as seen in Figure 6, for closing the groove 2! around which it is mounted.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that when the covers 22 are closed the playing pieces or marbles I5 will be retained in the grooves 2i and by swinging the latch elements 19 inwardly to disengage them from the grooves 20, the board sections l2 can be folded on the hinges l8 to assume the position, as seen in Figure 3, to provide a compact article that may be stored in a relatively small space or readily packed in a small suitcase or the like. To arrange the game board Ill for use, it is only necessary to swing the board sections I2, on hinges 18, to an extended position, as seen in Figure 1, after which the latch elements are swung outwardly to engage the grooves 20 to latch the rail section i1 in an extended position to hold the game board in an open position ready for use. The free ends of the latch members 25 are then pulled outwardly to release them from the projections 28 to permit the cover 22 to be turned substantially a half revolution, in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Figures 6 and 7 to move the covers 22 from their closed positions on the upper side of the rail it, over the grooves 2!, to their open positions on the under side of the rail l6 and beneath the grooves 28, to thereby I expose the grooves to permit the marbles ii to be removed for use in playing the game. At the bottom, left hand side of Figure 1 a cover 22 is shown in closed position while the cover 22 to the right thereof, is shown in an open position.

the marbles l5, are returned to the grooves 25 after which the covers 22 are turned in a clockwise direction from their positions as seen in Figure '7, to their positions, as seen in Figure 6, to thereby latch the cover in a closed position and to close the grooves 2i for retaining the marbles l5 therein after which the game board it? may be folded as heretofore explained.

While the game of Chinese checkers is ordinarily played with six or fewer players, each of Whom use ten corresponding playing pieces or marbles E5 the game board ill is provided with recesses 2i for receiving 8 sets of ten marbles each thereby providing two additional sets to give the players a greater selections of colors. However, two or more of the grooves 2i and covers i2 could be omitted if desired.

While the game board is especially intended for use in playing Chinese checkers the playing area could be changed to adapt the board for use in playing other games and the grooves 2| could be used for the storage of other types of playing pieces than the spherical members I5 without atfecting the construction of the board.

Various modifications and changes in the construction and arrangement of the arts forming the invention are contemplated and obviously may be resorted to, as only a preferred embodiment thereof has been disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

1. An article of the class described comprising a board having an upstanding rail secured along an edge thereof, said rail being provided with a groove in its upper side, a cover turnably mounted on the rail for closing the groove, when in one position, said cover being provided with a recess portion for exposing the groove when the cover is turned to another position, said rail being substantially semi-circular in cross section, said cover being arcuately shaped in cross section, said board having spaced slots, adjacent the ends of the grooved portion of the rail, and said cover being provided with lateral, arcuately shape-d eX- tensions at its ends for slidably engaging the slots for retaining the cover in position on the grooved portion of the rail.

2. A game board having a marginal rail extending therearound, said rail being provided with a plurality of spaced grooves in its upper side for receiving game pieces for use with said board, and cover members turnably mounted on said rail for covering said grooves when in one position, for retaining the game pieces therein, and for exposing the grooves, when in another position, to permit said game pieces being applied to or removed from the grooves, said rail being substantially semi-circular in cross section, said cover members being arcuately shaped in cross section and being provided with end portions extending through the board for retaining the cover members on the rail.

3. A game board as in claim 2, said game board and rail being divided into corresponding sections and the complementary ends of said rail sections being pivotally connected to provide a folding game board.

4. A game board formed of corresponding sections, a rail formed of corresponding U-shaped sections, each of said rail sections being secured to a board section along one of its longitudinal edges and along its ends, and the complementary ends of said rail sections being hingedly connected to hingedly connect the game board sections and to provide a folding game board having a marginal railing, and latch means associated with the ends of the rail sections for retaining the board in an extended position, said rail being semi-circular in cross section, and being provided with a groove in its upper, rounded portion, an arcuately shaped cover member rotatably mounted on the grooved portion of the rail for covering the groove, in one position, said cover being provided with a recess portion for exposing the groove when the cover is in another position, and said cover memher having a lateral, arcuately shaped extension projecting through the board for retaining the cover in engagement with the grooved portion of the rail.

5. A game board provided with an upstanding rail, said rail being substantially semi-circular in cross section and having an upwardly opening groove for receiving playing pieces, a cover, arcuately shaped in cross section, turnably mounted on the rail for closing or exposing the groove, said game board beingprovided with openings, and said cover having substantially ring shaped portions for engaging the openings for retaining the cover in position on the grooved portion of the rail.

JOHN EVANS HUFFAKER. 

